I'm Your Devil!
by Lillith Gray
Summary: After a strange encounter, Yuma is left with a weird little rabbit plush in his possession. He doesn't think much of it until he has a disturbing dream about a beautiful, but very scary girl. However, he begins to question if dreams can become reality when his nemesis Meiko turns up dead the next morning. MayuxYuma, MayuxKaito and possibly more as the story progresses.
1. Dreams

_(Author's Notes)_

_Hi everyone, and welcome to my second fanfic ever! Oh gosh I'm really nervous about posting this since it's been so long... but here goes!_

_Anyways, I'm huuuge Vocaloid fan and, being a lolita myself fashion-wise, my favorite is Mayu! So this story is going to center around her and some of my other favorites. The main characters are going to be Mayu, VY2 Yuma, and Kaito, with SeeU and SeeWoo also playing big roles. I want others to appear as well so if you have any suggestions please let me know~ I hope this isn't too awful, since I had a lot of fun coming up with everyone's personality._

_I apologize for the first chapter being kinda of short too, but I hope you enjoy it anyways! Please keep in mind that this might get a tad spooky sometimes. :3_

* * *

Yuma played idly with a strand of his pale pink hair, wondering vaguely why he had even dyed it that color in first place. In all truthfulness though, he was only trying to distract himself as he stared up at the barren ceiling of his bedroom. Yuma had never felt so totally aggravated in all his teenage life - today had been _hell_.

That Meiko was such a bitch, he decided as sat up from his messy bed, the whole situation running through his mind for the fourth time since he'd gotten home from school that day. He was pretty well known as the school's delinquent, and for the most part his class mates avoided him like the plague. The few who tried to mess with him ended up with a whimper and a black eye the next day. And that's the way he liked it. One of those said victims of his temper, however, had been Meiko's cousin; Meito. The brunette had never forgiven him and today had been the day that she'd exacted her poisonous revenge. He gritted his teeth. It had been once. Just ONCE that he had given the school's sweetheart, Miku Hatsune a small smile in passing - but that was more than enough for Meiko. She had gone all out; staging a fake love letter and even getting Miku and her other friends to show up when she flaunted it in front of the whole school during lunch. He hadn't been present at the time, else he definitely would have thrown some punches, but that hadn't stopped him from hearing about it from pretty much every giggling student at school. It had been a low blow to his reputation, and more than that (though these feelings would never escape the inner workings of his mind) he felt hurt. Either way though, he knew some revenge was in order. However, that could wait. For now he needed some fresh air to cool his nerves.

He took a deep breath of the crisp fall air as he locked up his little apartment, relief instantly flooding through his body. He quickly shoved his keys into the pocket of his black pants, tromping down the outdoor stairs that led to the ground floor two at a time as the cool air gently brushed against his pale skin. He had lived on his own for a few years now, his parents having kicked him out of the house a while back. The sun intruded on his reverie though and left him squinting a bit as he stepped out onto the street. He definitely lived in the bad part of town, and though he had to keep his wits about him, he still found these walks quite refreshing. Luckily, no one took any notice of him as he walked through the sunset ridden streets. He took the long way to the local convenience store and entered through the automatic doors about half an hour after he had set out. The fluorescent lights somehow seemed glaring as he moved about the aisles, picking out a few snacks to get him through the night. After making his selections he lazily strolled up to the counter to pay for his items. After all, he may have been violent but stealing left a bad taste in his mouth. Just as he set the various snacks and drinks down on the counter, the lights flicked out into nonexistence. Just like that. Akin to a curtain dropping on the stage with a loud "thump!". Darkness had already fallen outside and the little store was left with an unsettling lack of light. Yuma froze, a bit confused. Why had the lights gone out? Where was the clerk? He turned around, and feeling rather annoyed called out for the clerk. But just as the words left his lips the lights, with a painful flickering and buzzing noise, came back on and blanketed the store in light that may have been just a bit _too_ bright. Blinking a bit as his yellow eyes adjusted to the brightness, he was more than a little shocked to find the familiar features of one his classmates staring at him, the boy's face merely an inch from his own.

"What the _hell_ Mikuo?!" Yuma growled, taking a step back. He was about to shove the tealette when he noticed the skinny guy looked gaunt, his whole body trembling as he clutched something to his chest. Now that he thought about it, Mikuo had been absent for a few days now - what had happened to him? Suddenly, Mikuo shoved something into Yuma's arms.

"I have to get rid of her…!" He half whispered, half moaned before turning tail and running full speed out of the store. Yuma scoffed. What a weirdo. He looked down at what he was now holding, finding that it was, of all things, a cream colored rabbit plush with a microphone protruding from the top of it's head. It had big, red buttons for it's eyes and was dressed in a little ruffly black caplet. Before he could really even process this strangeness though, the clerk spoke up from behind the counter.

"Sorry about the lights sir, are you ready to check out?" Yuma turned, nodding. Feeling very confused he paid for his items and left the store. Yuma thought about ditching the weird rabbit in the street on his way home, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to. Despite himself he was a bit curious. And so he rather unceremoniously gripped the rabbit by the ears and swung it around as he walked home, bemusement dancing in his eyes. What a day.

* * *

It was something about it's eyes, Yuma decided as he stared down at the strange stuffed animal. Yawning, he tore his own eyes away from the rabbit and looked over at the clock on his night stand. It was getting on towards midnight and he figured it was about time to catch some shut eye. Wait - was that a giggle he just heard? It was faint but had the characteristics of chinking glass - high and pretty. Annoyed, he banged on the wall, a clear sign to his neighbors to keep it down. He had already taken a shower so he quickly brushed his teeth and flopped down on the bed, burying himself in the blankets to keep the cool night air from touching his skin. Sighing, the pink haired teen closed his eyes and let his mind drift through various revenge plots. He had _many _options after all.

It was then, just as he began to fall asleep, that the singing began. The voice was clearly female, and excessively angelic despite the sadness that poured from her voice. Yuma wondered vaguely if he was dreaming as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy. As his eyes focused he saw a figure standing in the corner of his room. He couldn't help but stare as the melodious words left her pink lips - she was strikingly beautiful. She was very short and petite, and her skin was so pale that it almost looked… translucent? Her eyes were closed, but he could see even from his position that her eyelashes were long and sooty. Her small hand was raised over her chest as she sang, her frilly black dress waving in an unearthly wind. Her hair was very pale as well, and reached down to her knees, with each lock curling into perfect little rainbow waves. All in all she had an almost child like beauty to her, though he could assume she was in her teens. Clearly alarmed, Yuma decided that he absolutely must be dreaming. There was simply no way some drop-dead gorgeous girl broke into his house in the middle of the night and started singing in his bedroom. _There was absolutely no way_.

Suddenly, the ethereal song ended and her eyes snapped open with an unnatural stiffness. Her eyes were golden in color, but they shone maliciously in the dark; like some unholy creature crawled behind her skull. Yuma was frozen, watching her carefully as his heart rate picked up. Was this a nightmare? Slowly, and with each step dainty and light, she walked over to him, a strange smile curved over her glossed lips. When she reached him, she bent over the teen, her strangely cold breath tickling his face. Yuma couldn't move; it felt like someone was sitting on his chest and leaving him breathless. Her smile widened and her fingers gingerly grasped a few strands of his pastel hair.

"You don't have to worry anymore. I'm going to take care of everything." She said in her melodious voice, though her lip motions and voice seemed out of sync. And just like that she disappeared into thin air. And then everything went black.


	2. Mayu & Mimi

_(Author's Notes)_

_I'm back with chapter two already! Surprisingly this story is just coming out very easily for me right now. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, I'm definitely taking the advice to heart! Have any of you been able to guess the song that inspired this story? It's actually "I'm Your Devil" by Tommy Heavenly6.  
_

_Right now the story seems to be mostly about Yuma and Mayu, but trust me a new face is coming next chapter~ Oh! And if you have any characters you'd like to have make an appearance, let me know! Thanks!_

* * *

For the first time in her young life, Miku Hatsune felt completely and totally out of control. Everything seemed very surreal, almost like she was dreaming. There was a strangely beautiful girl sitting beside her too, with her legs crossed in a very ladylike fashion and a smile on her pink lips. Miku had never seen this girl before, and weirdly enough no one else seemed to notice her. But she kept whispering things in Miku's ear. Her voice was so intoxicating, every lilt and every syllable excited Miku. But why did she feel like something was wrong every time the girl's glimmering eyes peered through her?

"Are you okay? Miku?" She could vaguely hear her friend Meiko's voice through the fog that had settled in upon her mind. Ah, yes, _Meiko_. Miku was staying at her house that night. Miku didn't want to be there at all. She really didn't like Meiko much, now did she? The older girl was always making her do bad things to people. Mean things; things that Miku was ashamed of. And she always went along with her "friend" because she was afraid. _So very afraid_. Meiko must be who this strange girl with her now was talking about, mustn't she? Now that Miku thought about it... The girl was right.

"Kill her."

"Make it right."

"You know you want to."

That sweet, angelic voice made her dizzy, and Miku wanted nothing more than to please her. So she stood up.

Meiko looked confused and asked her something, but Miku couldn't hear her anymore. She fingered a strand of her long teal hair nervously as she walked into Meiko's father's office. Hanging up on the wall behind the elaborate desk was an old, rusty axe. Miku wondered if it was still sharp.

* * *

When Yuma awoke he felt much more tired than when he had fallen asleep. As he stared blankly up at his ceiling he recalled the weird dream he had had… that girl's tantalizing yellow eyes haunted him even now. Shaking off his strange feelings, he sat up and lazily rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over at the clock. It was noon already, and he wondered vaguely if he should even bother with school that day, especially after everything that had happened the day before. Yawning, he decided he'd better man up and face the music. Yuma got up out of bed and disappeared into his bathroom.

Twenty minutes later and Yuma was dressed, had scarfed down a piece of toast, and he was out the door. He failed to notice, however, the strange red splotches covering the rabbit plush's face and paws as it sat innocently on his desk.

He actually was quite fond of his school's red and black blazer style school uniform, and he was especially happy not having to wear something dorky on a day like today. He sighed as he made his way down the pavement walkway beside the street, his school bag slung casually over his shoulder and his trademark black beanie adorning his head.

It took him about fifteen minutes to get to his campus, and as soon as he stepped inside the gates, he could tell something was off. Lunch was already in full swing by the time he got there, and students were lounged about all over campus consuming their food. But everyone looked a bit shaken up; as if something awful or unsettling had happened.

"Can you believe what happened to Meiko?"

"And Miku the one who did it! I never would've thought she'd be capable of something so horrible."

Yuma stilled, staring at the girl whom had spoken. Noticing his gaze she flinched a bit, and looked quite mortified when he walked up to her, a curious expression on his features.

"Tell me." He growled.

"W-well, this morning Meiko was found d-dead in her house. Miku was at the scene and confessed to the m-murder." The girl mumbled, unable to meet his intense gaze as her friends exchanged worried glances. Apparently, the school now had a tragedy to take it's attention away from his social death yesterday.

* * *

Like usual, Yuma wasn't paying attention in class. After all, he was only here because, as long as he stayed in school, his grandparents sent him a little bit of money every month. It wasn't much, but it got him by. Of course they never came to visit him and neither did they bother with calling him, but he was fine with that.

However, things _were_ a bit different today. Instead of simply spacing out like normal, Yuma was lost in the alleyways of his own mind.

Meiko was dead.

_Meiko was dead._

And the murderer? The school's sweetest and most cherished idol - Miku Hatsune. What had driven her to it? He wondered, though he figured he'd never really know. Not that he felt sorry for either of them. In his eyes, they got what they deserved. He wasn't a very caring person after all, but still, it was shocking to say the least. Things seemed so different today; the teachers were more uptight than usual, and on more than one occasion he had seen students tearing up in the hallways. It left him feeling rather numb as he stared out the window beside his desk, the teacher droning on in the background. The elderly trees that lined the school's walkway looked as though they were grasping at the sun today, Yuma thought idly. The dead leaves fell from their branches and fluttered to the ground in colorful little piles, the wind rustling them every so often with a gentle nudge.

It was then, as his eyes fell upon the tallest of the trees, that he noticed something that sent shivers down his spine. Standing at the base of that very tree was a short girl, her pale hair drifting lightly on the wind and her glowing yellow eyes fixed on his own. She was grinning wildly, the now familiar rabbit plush gripped tightly in her thin arms with red splotches covering it's face. As he stared, lips parted in shock, she tilted her head to the side and gave him a little wave. Then she turned and began walking away, but before she could reach the sidewalk, her form evaporated into smoke. Yuma could feel his heart racing - but, strangely, not from fear. Oh no, it was something far worse. Excitement.

* * *

Back in his bedroom at home that afternoon, Yuma found himself face to face with the rabbit plush, staring deep into it's soulless eyes, just like he had been for the last forty-five minutes. He knew he should be scared - after all he was now convinced that not only had he been visited by a ghost girl twice, but that she and this stuffed animal had something to do with Meiko's murder. Still, he wanted to know more about her. Curiosity killed the cat, he thought with a wince.

"I know you're here."

Nothing.

"What's your name?"

Not a sound was made.

Yuma growled under his breath, clearly frustrated. Why wouldn't she speak with him? He knew she had last night. He still remembered her words, although then he had thought himself to be dreaming. With a sigh he turned his attention to his computer. If she wouldn't tell him, then maybe he could find answers elsewhere.

Many fruitless searches and a few hours later, he finally found something. It was a post on an urban legends forum, strangely enough the poster appeared to be local. It spoke of a beautiful young lady who appears to people who have been rejected or betrayed in a painful way by their crushes or lovers. Apparently, she kills the offending person in cold blood, always with some sort of axe. Yuma had no way of knowing if the axe part was true in his case, and although he didn't really see Miku as a "crush" or "lover" (not to mention the fact that Meiko was the one dead) he still scrolled down and continued reading.

"She always appears via a rabbit plush with a microphone on it's head. It's name is 'Usano Mimi', which you can confirm by a monogram on the inside of the cape it's wearing." He read aloud. With shaking fingers, Yuma reached for the plush on his desk and lifted the cape. Sprawled along the inside edge in beautiful golden script, were the words "Usano Mimi". Now he knew something was up.

Deciding simply speaking to her wasn't going to work, he tried to think of some other way to contact this ghost girl. As he mulled it over, he remembered a game he and his uncle had played when he was little. What was the name of that board again? Getting up, he scurried over to his closet and hurriedly rummaged through some of the boxes on the top shelf. He was pretty tall so it was easy enough to locate the item and, once he found it, he plopped it down on his bed. Blowing away the dust, he read the name.

"Ouija." He merely whispered. It was a yellowish board with the words "yes" and "no" painted elegantly across each of the top corners, the alphabet and numbers in the middle, and "goodbye" on the bottom. He remembered that his uncle had told him it could be used to contact spirits.

Tossing the little planchette that had come with it around in his hand, Yuma took a step back and thought about what he was doing. Things had gotten so very _strange_ in such a short amount of time. If you had even mentioned the word "ghost" to him the day before he would have scoffed. But now…

Yuma could only smirk as he sat down on his unmade bed, grabbing the bunny off his desk and placing the planchette on the board. This was actually pretty entertaining for him, he had to admit. He hadn't had anything really interesting to deal with in quite a while, and for that, he thanked the cute ghost girl. He placed his long fingers on the planchette and thought about what he should ask first.

"Are you there?" He asked, gripping the planchette. He waited several minutes but received no response. Just when he was about to give up, the board sprung to life. Yuma felt a cold pressure against his hand and, of it's own accord, the planchette began to move.

"W"

"H"

"Y" He called out every letter, excitement flooding his mind.

"Why? Why what?" He waited for over a minute, and eventually she replied. The planchette moved more quickly this time, and he had a hard time keeping up. After it had stopped he mouthed her words aloud.

"'Haven't you gotten rid of me?' Why haven't I gotten rid of you?"

Her response was a simple "Yes". Yuma gave the board a smug smile.

"You're interesting." He said honestly, although he himself was wondering why he hadn't ended up like Mikuo. He received no response so he asked another question of his own.

"What's your name?" The answer was immediate.

"MAYU."

"… Did you kill Meiko, Mayu?" He asked finally, his voice shaky with anticipation. Everything seemed extraordinarily still and deathly quiet, and Yuma was even afraid that his breath would break the fragile moment. A low scraping noise picked up as the planchette slowly traveled across the board. Somehow, he could feel Mayu's nails digging into his skin as she moved the planchette. The answer was a firm "yes".

As soon as the planchette stopped moving, the lights went out with a loud "crack!". A shiver ran down Yuma's spine as his eyes groped the ominous darkness, trying to locate Mayu's presence. He longed for just a glimpse of her visage. Then, the planchette quickly and shakily, almost as if his other worldly visitor was tired, slid over to the spot marked "goodbye". A few moments later the lights flickered back on, and though Yuma asked many more questions, not a one of them was answered.

Yuma was unsure of how to feel. On one hand, he had made contact with her and that was a step in the right direction, but on the other he hadn't really learned much more.

"Mayu." He murmured, testing the name out on his lips before he got up. He grabbed his keys off the dresser and left the apartment in a rush. He needed some fresh air.

* * *

Mayu was not happy. In fact, Mayu was very _unhappy_.

She was sitting on Yuma's desk, right next to her precious Usano Mimi, her hair pulled idly over one shoulder and her piano edged skirt ruffling against her knees. With a sigh she stood up and faced Mimi, bending down so that their noses touched.

"What are we going to do, Mimi?" She asked, as though she expected the rabbit to solve all her problems. Everything had gone wrong since she had come into the possession of that pink haired guy. He was supposed to be afraid of her. He supposed to hate her. He was supposed to be like all the others.

_He was certainly not supposed to call her "interesting"._

If she didn't get to her next victim soon, things would only get worse. There were rules, after all. She could already feel it coming. That noxious, foul hunger and perilous weakness building inside her. Shaking her head, Mayu drove those thoughts away. She knew she could scare this guys away. She had to.

However, that loud crashing noise coming from the kitchen certainly was not a part of her plan either.

* * *

Yuma came home just as the sun was setting, ready for another round with the Ouija board. However, the sight that greeted him upon his entry into the apartment sent a scowl to his features. Swinging the door open carefully, he peered inside the dark apartment. He could see a pile of glass in front of the now shattered kitchen window.

"Shit!" Yuma cursed, walking inside. He did a quick once over of the place, determining, to his dismay, that the thief was long gone. At first he couldn't really determine that anything had been stolen; Yuma lived pretty sparsely and all the essentials like his T.V. and laptop were intact. However, when he returned to his bedroom after cleaning the glass in the kitchen, he noticed a certain rabbit he had grown quite fond of was no longer sitting in it's usual spot. Frantic, he rushed through the house, turning the whole place upside down looking for Usano Mimi. He found neither the rabbit nor any sign of the mystery thief.

His neighbors were not very enthused by the cursing and loud threats that transpired over the next twenty minutes.


	3. You Can Break My Curse?

_(Author's Notes)_

_Whew! This chapter is finally finished, yay! This one was certainly the hardest chapter to write yet. I had a lot of fun writing Kaito, though haha. I really like the way his character came out - he's such a goofball!_

_Anyways, thank you for the reviews guys, I'm glad you seem to be enjoying the story! It makes me feel good to have people actually reading my writing for once, since I haven't shared anything in a very long time. Enjoy! :)_

* * *

Mayu was feeling very uncomfortable underneath this guy's azure gaze. It almost seemed like… he was staring _at _her instead of _passed _her. But Mayu knew that was entirely impossible. There was absolutely no way this grinning idiot could see or even hear her. He didn't meet the requirements, after all.

So, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her skirt, she fixed her golden eyes on the blue-haired student (she could tell he was wearing the same uniform she'd seen Yuma in) who was sitting across from her. He was currently busy with a blueish frozen treat, though his eating didn't stop him from smiling happily, as though this was the best day of his life. His hair was a wild dark blue and complimented his features nicely, she noted with a hint of dissatisfaction. His eyes were bright and brimming with energy as he sat cross legged on the couch, a blue scarf hanging from his neck that strangely clashed with his red and black uniform. Somehow it worked for him, though.

At first, when this guy had broken into Yuma's shoddy apartment none too subtly, Mayu had been relieved. The cycle would start again. But, as soon as she realized he had no grudge against any sort of lover, Mayu knew she was in trouble. Why had he stolen Mimi if not for the legend of revenge? A thousand possibilities ran through her mind, but not a one seemed plausible. Mayu closed her eyes, reminding herself to think about things logically and pay close attention to the things around her. All the things she _hadn't _done in life. Opening her eyes, she realized this guy's house was not just a house after all - it was more like a mansion. It was heavily decorated, almost gaudy, with marble floors and a massive, elaborately carved fireplace mantle that stood-

"So, Mayu, how have you been?" If Mayu had been drinking anything, she would have spit it out right then and there. Shock covered her pretty features as her gaze fixed on the blue haired man. He chuckled, his voice soft.

"Awww, you don't remember me?" He asked with a pout, enlisting every bit of boyish charm he had. Mayu opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak for several moments.

"Who are you and how can you see me?" She finally asked, her guard clearly up in all respects.

"Ah! My name is Kaito Shion," he began in a sing-song voice as he set his now clean popsicle stick on the table between them, "and I'm a senior high school student who's lived in this town all his life. Sad, isn't it? Anyways, I've been looking for you for a while now. And now I've finally found you, Mayu!"

Mayu raised an eyebrow. This "Kaito" had _way_ too much energy, she decided. Worse still, he also had way too much _information_. But he hadn't answered the last part of her question. She waited for an explanation, her arms crossed over her chest. She was intensely flustered, but she hid it well.

"Right, right! I guess you could say I'm… intuitive?" Kaito looked thoughtful, scratching at his chin with his blue painted fingernails. "Or, I guess if you wanted to be more dramatic, you could say I 'see dead people'… Yeah, that works! It's been like that ever since I was young." He said as an after thought, his light laughter filling the room.

Mayu had been a ghost for many years now, constantly haunted by her death as she was forced to take out her own wretchedness on others. She moved from person to person, leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake. Her hands had been covered in so much crimson blood that she imagined they would never be clean again. That was her curse. That was what her actions towards the person she loved most had sentenced her to all those years ago. She didn't have comfort. She didn't have people to talk to. She was alone. Always alone, and that was her eternity. But now… someone could see her? Could hear her, had been looking for her? She tried to keep her composure, but Mayu could feel her lip trembling. She didn't deserve this. This shouldn't be happening!

"Mayu? Are you crying?" Kaito looked shocked, instantly getting up off the couch and coming over to her in one swift move. He looked so concerned… Mayu could feel her heart breaking. What was going on? She was so confused. Why on earth was this guy treating her like this? She was a _murderer_, for god's sake! She wanted to leave. More than anything she wanted to push him away and just start running as the bad memories flooded her mind. But, she couldn't do that. She had no physical form, after all. Kaito sighed, wishing fervently that he could wipe away those glimmering tears that gathered at the edges of her large eyes.

"Y'know, I'm actually a little sad you don't remember me. But you will! And don't worry Mayu, I'm going to take care of everything!" He chirped excitedly, getting up.

"What are _you _going to do?" Mayu asked, her voice shaky. She was growing weaker every hour that passed, and all this drama was just making it harder on her. Kaito looked at her, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm going to break your curse!"

* * *

Cursing under his breath, Yuma ran a slender hand through his pastel hair. How long had he been at this? The teen had been sitting at his desk now for god only knows how long at this point, using one of his precious Saturdays typing in desperate searches on his computer. All in an attempt to find out something about this "Mayu". Now that she was gone, he found it even harder to get her out of his head. She was like a virus coursing through his veins and it was making him feel more confused than he ever had before. Yuma continuously told himself to forget about all of this - about _her_. But, somehow, every time he closed his eyes he saw that eery smile and those predatory golden eyes. And that voice - that seraphic voice haunted him around every corner. All he knew is that he wanted to see her again.

But what could he do? She was gone. Stolen. It wasn't like he could get the police involved either; not with his reputation and the fact that, well, the only thing stolen was a _stuffed animal_. So, he did the only thing he could. He kept searching.

Yuma had just about had enough an hour later, but deciding on one last link he moved the mouse over and clicked on it. It was an article on some sort of conspiracy theorists blog from a few months ago. It started by listing several quotes from what the writer claimed were local news clippings they'd found in an abandoned house. They all spoke of a teen by the name of "Mayu" - no last name was given - that had been murdered in Yuma's own town years ago. Apparently, she had been brutalized with an axe and her body parts were found scattered all over her house. Yuma shivered, but read on. The writer went on to explain how numerous internet searches had resulted in no information whatsoever on the murder, evidence, or if the case had ever been solved. Even checking local records, there was nothing. It seemed as though the whole case had just been swept under the rug. The writer also claimed to have visited the house where this Mayu had resided - everything had been cleared out from the last residents, but underneath the floorboards in the girl's closet the writer had found an old box of photographs. Strangely, out of hundreds of photos, every single one was of the same blonde teen. Different places, different times, but always the same guy. The writer included a scan of one of the pictures - the guy somehow seemed familiar to Yuma, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. The writer ended the article by speculating that this could be the face of Mayu's murderer.

Yuma's closed his laptop after he had read the last words. Could this have been his Mayu? The axe thing was mentioned again, so maybe. Leaning back in his chair he glared at the wall. He wanted to know. He _needed_ to know.

* * *

"All you need is love." Mayu burst out into a fit of bitter laughter when Kaito attempted to explain to her how he would break her so called "curse". She was _dead_, love wasn't going to do anything for her.

"And where exactly am I supposed to find someone who loves a psychotic ghost that carries around a stuffed rabbit?" Mayu questioned sarcastically after she had recovered. Kaito looked unfazed, still smiling innocently.

"I told you Mayu, I'm going to break the curse!" It was official, Mayu thought cynically, this guy was either completely insane or hopped up on some kind of drugs. There was no other way any rational human being would believe this bull. Mayu rolled her eyes.

"Can you please just give Mimi to someone so I can get on with my afterlife?" Mayu asked tiredly, clearly fed up with this nonsense. Kaito pouted, feigning offense as he hopped off the couch and began pushing it away.

"I guess a lied a little. You need a few more things than love." He chirped, rolling up the expensive rug and revealing a set of carefully painted symbols that Mayu didn't recognize. They glimmered eerily against the cold wood floor.

"The spell's actually pretty simple, though."

"S-spell?" Mayu stuttered in shock, tucking a few strands of fluffy hair behind her ear.

"Yep! And don't even think about getting out of this. As long as I've got Mimi there's nothing you can do!" He practically sung with excitement, disappearing into the lavish kitchen. He emerged a few moments later with a box of matches and flipped the switch that controlled the lights. Plunged into deep darkness, Mayu could only watch as this fool went around the room lighting candles of various sizes and thicknesses.

"This is completely ridiculous. Magic isn't real, and I certainly would have known if a spell was placed on me." Mayu stated, a bitter taste in her mouth. Everything that had happened to her was her own fault, and her fate was more a part of divine justice or karma rather than any sort of spell.

"Says the invisible murdering ghost girl." Kaito chuckled. Mayu thought he looked like a madman with the orange candlelight licking at his pale face.

"I'm this way because… because it's my punishment." Kaito sighed heavily at her response, and for the first time since they had met, he gave Mayu a serious expression. His blue eyes looked incredibly sad as he stared at her.

"Mayu, you did nothing wrong when you were alive. You were in love with a horrible guy. Please don't think badly of yourself."

"Y-you don't know anything about me!" Mayu shouted, panic rising within her. She wanted to rip that sympathetic look off his pretty face. Kaito didn't respond and instead walked to the center of the circle created by the strange sigils, his signature smile back in place. He held out a hand towards her. Stubbornly, she refused to move.

"If you don't come, you and Mimi are stuck with me - I won't let you go." He said with just a bit too much glee in his voice. Grunting, Mayu stomped noiselessly into the circle, standing rigid beside him. The blue haired teen pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and carefully unfolded it. Reading from the ruled paper, he slowly began a strange sort of chant. Mayu didn't recognize any of the ancient sounding words, and she noticed with pointed interest that even Kaito stumbled over the pronunciation of a few of them. It was then that Mayu felt something - not anything external, but more like a _presence_. Whatever it was, it had Mayu sweating. It was a burning, dark feeling - like pure hatred manifested into a spiritual being. Her eyes glancing wildly around the room, Mayu's gaze fell on the tall, floor length mirror hanging to her right. What she saw caused the small girl to fall to her knees, her whole being convulsing. Staring at the two of them from the confines of the reflective surface was the darkened silhouette of a man; his blue eyes burning malevolently in the darkness. Mayu knew this man, she realized. It was _him_. It was her everything.

Kaito's only reaction was to speed up his chanting as the candles began flickering wildly. Suddenly, the sigils inscribed into the floor began glowing a devilish red and Mayu lost all sense of control she had over the situation. Tears poured down her translucent cheeks as _he _pressed against her mind. Every thought he fed her told Mayu to get up and run as far as she could, but somehow Kaito's smiling, confident face kept her pinned to the floor. Then, she shrieked. A high pitched, bloodcurdling sound that forced it's way out from her trembling lips as pain ripped through her spirit. It had been so long since she had felt any sort of physical feeling that she simply couldn't handle it. Overloaded and exhausted, she shut down and fell limp at Kaito's feet.


	4. Him

_(Author's Notes)_

_And here's the next chapter! This one ended up quite a bit longer than the others. And don't worry, just because Mayu's curse is broken doesn't mean the spookiness is going to stop. ;D This chapter ended up without much scariness in it, though. I just felt that it was necessary to the lay the foundation for the crazy stuff yet to come!_

_Thank you again to all the lovely reviewers, your comments inspire me to keep writing! Enjoy~_

_P.S. If you were wondering, the uniform design for their school is actually based on Mayu's outfit in one of her more infamous songs. So cute!_

* * *

Mayu hadn't slept since the night before her death, and yet somehow here she was. There was a gentle warmth surrounding her, and the sweet floral scent of blooming roses engulfed her nostrils. With a sigh, Mayu let her body fall back against the soft, wriggling grass. Her pale hair tickled her skin as the wind gently blew the curls around her face. She stared at the blue sky with wonder. Mayu hadn't felt such bliss in a very long time. Not since the time _he _had given her her first kiss. But dark thoughts could not pervade her mind here, and Mayu only thought of how the sun felt as it shone on her skin. But, alas, dreams are only dreams and every single one of them eventually comes to an end.

Mayu could feel her consciousness returning to her ever so slowly. Strangely though, she realized there was a warm pressure laid against her stomach. It felt… nice. Comfortable.

Wait a minute — she _felt_? All dreaminess flew from her mind and the veil was lifted. Her eyes shot open and quickly adjusted to the soft morning light. Looking down, she could see a mess of blue hair lying face down on top of her stomach, no doubt attached to the teen her mind now reminded her she had met yesterday. Mayu stared, unseeing, her face contorted in dumb shock. Then, the events of yesterday came back to her and her vision drifted over to Kaito. He was sitting rather precariously in a chair that had been pulled up against the bed she was currently tucked into, though he was leaned forward so much that his head and shoulders had fallen against Mayu's stomach. Suddenly embarrassed, she quickly shoved him off and scrambled to her feet. She could hear the shuffling sounds of Kaito waking up behind her as she took a few steps forward on her shaking legs. The carpet felt strange underneath her toes and she had to remind herself to _breathe_ — something she hadn't done in a very long time. For the first time ever, the world seemed as bright and new as her dreams.

"I-I'm alive!" She screamed, gasping for breath as her excited gaze darted around the room. Hundreds of sensations assaulted her as she staggered. The smells — the feelings! It was all a glorious chorus of excitement for her.

"I'm really alive! I'm not dead!" And with that she fell flat on her face, her childish giggles muffled by the bland carpet.

"Umm… Mayu, are you okay?" Kaito asked, cautiously approaching her. Mayu bolted upright, staring up at Kaito with wonder dancing around in her bright yellow eyes. The rainbow tips of her pale hair seemed to glitter as she smiled up at him. That was the first time he had seen her smile so genuinely — without that strange predatory gleam or malicious eyes. He thought that smile looked beautiful on her.

"You did it! I don't how the _hell_ that worked, but you brought me back to life." She was speaking so fast that Kaito could barely understand her.

"Wait… are you God? An angel?" She muttered dreamily, causing Kaito to burst out laughing.

"Nope. Just a high school student." He responded with a smile, helping her to her feet.

"Hey, you must be hungry right? Want something to eat?" Kaito asked sweetly, a hand around her waist to keep Mayu steady on her wobbling feet. Walking was much harder with a physical body, Mayu decided. The blonde nodded eagerly. Now that she thought about it, there was a strange uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. That was hunger, right? She couldn't remember. As the two headed into the kitchen, Mayu became more and more stable and by the time they reached the practically sparkling kitchen downstairs, Mayu was able to walk on her own, albeit a bit slowly. After making sure she was safely situated on one of the iron bar stools, he went over to the fridge.

"Well, I would cook you something, but bad things seem to happen when I cook." Kaito said with a wry smile.

"Really?" Mayu asked, cocking her head to the side. Kaito nodded, scanning the contents of the fridge.

"My Mom has the cleaning lady leave me meals in here. Are pork chops good with you?" He asked, pulling out a container. Mayu looked plenty eager so he popped it in the microwave, chuckling all the while. While they waited he leant against the counter from his place on the other side of the bar.

"It's still the weekend, so how about we take you shopping? There's gonna be a lot of things you need." He asked, that goofy smile spread across his lips. Currently he was relieved that his companion was so distracted as to not be bombarding him with questions. He really didn't want to burst her bubble — seeing her smile like that made his heart flutter. He knew it would happen soon enough, though. He had to tell her. But maybe he could put it off a little longer with a shopping trip? Although, he noted, her tiny frame did look rather adorable in his T-shirt.

* * *

"… So, how exactly do you know so much about me?" Mayu attempted to ask in a very casual manner as she busied herself with shuffling through a rack of clothes. Honestly, she was afraid to rock the boat. She barely knew this guy and yet he had done so much for her. Kaito kept his grin on his face, but inside he couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy. It had been so cute when she had ardently refused to have him spend so much money on her, let alone allow her to stay in his guest bedroom, that Kaito had almost forgotten this moment would come. He sighed, thinking quickly.

"Maybe you should remember me before I tell you everything, Mayu." He said finally, hoping she wouldn't press the issue. Mayu puffed out her cheeks and stole a glance at him. He couldn't help but grin at her.

"Damn. I really can't remember you. Did I meet you when I was alive? Although you would have to have been pretty young."

"You were, erm, dead." He replied with, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the word.

"Hmmm…" Mayu mumbled, turning towards him with a grave expression. There was a long pause as the two exchanged looks.

"You do know I didn't deserve a second chance, right?" She asked quietly, staring at the ground.

"I did this more for me than you." Kaito mumbled with a complex expression. Ever since he had met Mayu all those years ago, he had known he wanted to be near her. Was he selfish for doing this? He knew the answer. Mayu's "second chance" was going to be harder for her than she could even imagine at this point, but he couldn't help himself. He needed her here.

"Ah! Mayu, you have to try this on!" Kaito shouted perhaps a little too loudly for Mayu's taste, shoving a pastel pink dress with a large bow fastened on the front into her arms. Mayu hesitated for a moment, but then smiled slightly and took the dress.

The rest of the shopping trip went pretty smoothly for Kaito and Mayu. Mayu decided to drop the subject until a later date, though she still had many questions burning through her mind, and Kaito enjoyed buying her the various necessities that she needed while they traveled around the town from shop to shop. After several hours, Mayu looked entirely exhausted, and Kaito was carrying so many bags that he could barely feel his fingers. Mayu suggested they head back, looking a little guilty as she played with the hem of her new frilly pink dress — which she had earlier changed into. She really was making a habit of that, Mayu thought distastefully.

"There's one more place we need to stop by." Kaito said excitedly, taking her by the hand and leading the girl across the street. The store he led her into was called "Uniforms & More". Mayu gave him a dubious look.

"They usually have our school's uniform here." He explained happily as he took her to a rack of predominantly black and red clothes. Pulling out the smallest uniform he could find, he held it up to the confused girl.

"This one should work!" He chirped, beaming at her. It was a rather boxy, but cute red sailor style blouse with a black collar and red trim. The skirt was decidedly short, but also very nice looking with crisp black pleats and red trim.

"Why do I need this?" She asked curiously.

"You'll be attending my school starting tomorrow."

"Wait… don't I have to enroll or something? Isn't there a process even for a public school?"

"Everything's already set up! I sent in your info weeks ago." He said with a wink, and Mayu knew that most of the "information" must have been entirely fabricated.

"Unless of course you don't want to go to school?"

"This is my second chance. I have to do this right." Mayu smiled and without another word took the uniform.

After their last errand had been complete, Mayu and Kaito again found themselves riding in the back seat of the Shion family's hired car. They sat in a contented silence, Mayu seemed excited as she watched a world that looked so unfamiliar fly past her window in a kaleidoscope of colors. Kaito couldn't bring himself to look at her. He knew the driver could not hear them; this was his best chance to tell her what she _needed_ to know. The blue haired teen tried several times to start the conversation, but lost his nerve at every one. Staring at his hands, he finally spoke half way through the ride.

"Mayu… there's something you need to know about the curse." He began, suddenly feeling her questioning eyes on him.

"Your hunger for death? It won't go away… I'm sure you can feel it even now." A dangerous smirk curved it's way across Mayu's lips at his words. A certain darkness seemed to settle over the pair, ready to snap their necks with the pressure alone.

"I do. Is that a problem? Oh, maybe you can't stomach it? We both know I'm a monster and that won't change. Is this the part where you're going to give me some speech on ethics?" Mayu spat bitterly, her fists clenching in her lap as she glowered out the window. Kaito looked over at her for the first time since they'd gotten in the car, fondly picking up a few stands of her hair with his fingers as he smiled, but somehow his brightness seemed bitter now.

"I've accepted that part of you a long time ago. The problem is… if you kill anyone now, if you let the blood taint your hands again… You will disappear. _Forever_." He said sadly, his deep blue eyes reflecting his emotions. Mayu's lips parted and she stared at him strangely.

"That's the way _he _planned it, Mayu."

* * *

Yuma took special enjoyment out of shoving Len Kagamine roughly into the lockers that particular Monday morning. The pink haired teen had slept fitfully the night before, and somehow, much to his consternation, he had awoken with the sun. Having nothing better to do he had sauntered angrily onto the school grounds with his hands shoved into his pockets and a harsher than usual scowl set into his handsome features. It hadn't taken more than a whispered comment from Len to set him off, and the blonde was now most certainly regretting it.

"Advice Kagamine: learn to shut the _fuck _up." Yuma hissed before releasing the freshman and skulking off to his first class. Yuma couldn't believe that for the first time in his high school career, he was actually going to be _on time_. Shoving a few shocked students that lingered near the door out of his way, Yuma entered the classroom and seated himself at his usual place by the window. The bell rang soon after, but the teacher was still missing. Great. The one time he shows up early and the teacher is late, Yuma thought angrily. His classmates seemed pretty excited though. After a few minutes however, the door opened and the familiar face of Ms. Megurine popped inside.

"Alright guys, we have a new student today." She said, all business as she walked inside, her black stilettos clacking against the floor with each step she took. Yuma really couldn't have cared less about the new student, so he kept his miffed gaze pinned to the swaying trees outside, wishing fervently that Mayu would show up again.

"She's so tiny!"

"Adorable!"

"So cute!"

He heard a chorus of such whispers erupt as the new student entered the room, her footfalls light and dainty. Curious as to what his fellow classmates were so excited about, he glanced up, and the sight that met him left the teen slack-jawed.

She was standing up to her full height (which certainly wasn't much) and her petite hands were fidgeting with the hem of her black pleated skirt as though she felt it was too short. Her skin was a creamy milk white and the expression painted across her angelic features was over all unreadable, although her large yellow eyes were staring off to the side as though nervous. Her hair was extremely long and voluminous, surrounding her in a blonde cloud that curled into rainbow hues at the ends. She had accessorized her uniform with a large red bow in her hair, and a matching pink one hanging from her chest. There was absolutely no doubt. This chick was his Mayu.

No no, wait. Maybe this girl just looked like Mayu? _Exactly_ like Mayu. His mind in utter chaos and confusion, Yuma watched as a polite, poised smile crossed across her glossed lips. She tilted forward into a slight bow.

"My name is Mayu. I hope that you will treat me well." She said in her high, yet elegant voice before she took the seat that Ms. Megurine gestured towards. Yuma cursed under his breath — her seat was on the other side of the room. He would have to wait to approach her.

* * *

SeeWoo exhaled impatiently as he waited for his sister to apply her lip gloss in the mirror mounted on her open locker door. She fluffed her golden locks and adjusted her red blouse, making cute little faces at herself in the mirror. SeeWoo almost chuckled at her, but stopped himself as he knew she'd only be angry with him. His sister was his world, and he hated seeing her angry over little things like this. So, instead he let his eyes wonder, and it was then that he noticed a rather height challenged girl struggling to reach the contents in her upper locker. She must have been the new student he had heard everyone talking about today. He honestly didn't understand all the hype. Sure, she was cute, but obviously not "womanly" in the slightest he thought with distaste.

"She tastes a lot better than she looks." SeeWoo was momentarily shocked by a horribly familiar, husky voice whispering in his ear. He willed his racing heart to slow and his panic to subside — he knew the voice was all in his head. He'd been hearing this strange "voice" since he was very little, but so far he had managed to keep it to himself. It happened infrequently enough that the blonde was able to convince himself it was no big deal — nothing he couldn't handle. It always seemed to be strange little remarks that didn't make much sense anyways. Suddenly, he realized his sister was staring at him, her cat-like blue eyes twinkling as she smirked up at him.

"My, my, is my stone-cold brother infatuated by the new girl?" SeeU asked, sounding rather excited. SeeWoo scoffed.

"Absolutely not."

"You're right, she's really cute. We should go talk to her." His sister said, clearly ignoring SeeWoo's protests.

"And my anti-social sister actually wants to _talk_ to someone?" He said teasingly, though in all honestly he really was quite shocked. SeeU was very popular among her classmates for her incredible beauty, but she was extremely anti-social and preferred to keep to herself, her only friends being her big brother and her boyfriend Len. SeeU pouted cutely.

"I dunno… there's just something about her that I think I'd like." She said thoughtfully, before smiling up at her brother and forcing him to walk over to the rainbow haired girl with her. Easily much taller than her target, SeeU reached into the high locker and handed the shorter girl her necessary books. She smiled brilliantly down at her.

"Hiya new girl! I'm SeeU!" She chirped, but as soon as she finished speaking, SeeU realized the girl was staring over at SeeWoo rather intently, a strange, unreadable expression on her pleasant face.

"… And this is my brother, SeeWoo." The blonde girl finished, nudging her brother excitedly as if to say "go for it!". But SeeWoo only shot the new girl a harsh glare. A hint of melancholy flashed momentarily through the girl's golden eyes in response.

"Sorry… you just really look like someone I used to know. Anyways, I'm Mayu." She said, all polite, but somehow forced poise. SeeWoo's glare only intensified.

"Just so we're clear, I'm not interested in _little girls_." He stated bluntly, though his mind suddenly felt a little foggy. Mayu's eye twitched dangerously as her features shifted into gritty anger. SeeU quickly stepped between them, ready to attempt damage control.

"D-don't mind him Mayu! He just doesn't know how to express his emotions. He's totally in love with you, promise. Oh! And you should really come eat lunch with us tomorrow. Like really!" SeeU said rapidly, her voice sugary sweet. She then grabbed her angry brother by the ear and dragged him away from a rather perplexed Mayu.

"_Really_ SeeWoo?" SeeU grumbled tersely.

* * *

Mayu's mind was reeling as she clutched Usano Mimi to her chest, slowly making her way down the nearly empty hallway. At this point, she wasn't even concerned about her classmates seeing her looking so childish. She needed Mimi after what she'd been through.

Sandy blonde hair, sky blue eyes and a razor sharp attitude that could kill. In every way, SeeWoo reminded Mayu of _him. _The person she had loved so desperately in her previous life — the person who had betrayed her most foully. _The person who had laughed as he chopped her into little pieces_. She could feel her hands shaking with adrenaline as she meandered down the hallway towards the front doors, each step heavy and thoughtful.

"I know Mimi. It wasn't him." Mayu mumbled almost inaudibly into the rabbit's soft head.

"At least school's out. We can go home now." She added a little more brightly. However, her thoughts were rather jarringly interrupted as she felt a clamping pressure and a sharp tug on her left arm. Suddenly, and violently yanked into a certain direction, Mayu found herself in what appeared to be a pitch black Janitor's closet. She could feel a hot breath on her forehead and knew she wasn't alone, but she could barely make out the outline of the man's face in the blackness. Her pulse quickened — but not because of fear; because of _hunger._ This would be the perfect opportunity, wouldn't it? Mayu's grip tightened dangerously around Mimi.

_No. _She told herself quickly. She couldn't let her mind go there or it was all over. Without warning, her assailant leaned in close, and Mayu could finally see his face through the darkness.

"Who the hell are you and what do you know about the ghost girl Mayu?"

Pretty, pale skin and a shock of a pastel pink hair that persistently fell in his eyes was all Mayu needed to see for recognition to flash across her features. _She was in trouble. _Mayu lunged for the door, but Yuma easily blocked her way and effortlessly pinned the small girl against the opposite wall. It was now painfully clear to my Mayu just how powerless she was without her ethereal body.

"You really are _that _Mayu, aren't you?" Yuma stated excitedly, his dangerous yellow eyes alive with emotion. Mayu's only response was keeping her own eyes trained on the mop beside him.

"But how?"

"Honestly, I wish I knew. Apparently the 'curse' is broken."

"Curse? Weren't you dead?" Mayu sighed exaggeratedly at his questions.

"Apparently not anymore. Can I go now? Or are you some kinda perv wanting to keep me in a closet?" Mayu couldn't see it in the darkness, but Yuma's cheeks colored slightly at her response. Reluctantly, he released her from his grip and Mayu shoved her way out of the stuffy closet. Taking in a deep breath she attempted to calm her panicked nerves. To her great annoyance however, Yuma followed her out and took to walking beside her as she made a b-line for the exit. Mayu increased her pace in an effort to ditch him, but Yuma's long legs easily kept with her stride, his characteristic scowl set into place.

"Why are you still following me?" Mayu mumbled under her breath, clearly irritated by this guy as they exited the school building. The strong afternoon sunlight startled her a bit and she blinked repeatedly.

"Because… because…" Yuma began, staring anywhere but at his short companion. He exhaled heavily.

"I honestly don't know. Like I said, you're _interesting_. Especially now…" He said, throwing on his most uncaring expression. Mayu looked a little confused, and opened her mouth as though to speak. She was interrupted, however, by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her shoulders and the tickle of warm breath against her ear. Mayu looked quite shocked (certainly not for the first time that day) and released a small squeak as an embarrassed blush spread across her features. The students still lingering on campus now seemed to be quite interested in her and Kaito — including a very irritated Yuma.

"Mayu! I missed you! How was your first day?" He shouted excitedly, and Mayu could only stutter. It was then that Kaito's vision seemed to drift over to the pink haired guy beside Mayu. His eyes narrowed.

"And who the hell are you?" Yuma grouched, clearly annoyed. Kaito's momentary lapse into anger was quickly replaced with a playful smile.

"Oh, I'm Kaito. Mayu and I are living together!" He chirped, seeming quite pleased with himself. Mayu tried to shove him off as she shot him a glare, but he wouldn't budge. Yuma stared, quiet for a few moments as he glared daggers at Kaito. Then a sudden realization flooded his features.

"Wait a minute — are you the dick who stole Mayu from me?"


	5. Hateful Kiss

_(Author's Notes)_

_I can't believe it's already chapter five! This chapter is a big turning point in the story. **Yennieee **asked what the main pairing will be, and honestly, I haven't decided yet. That said, next chapter is when the official pairing will need to be decided __— but I love both KaitoxMayu and YumaxMayu equally... So, I'll ask you guys! Send me a message/review with the pairing you'd prefer, and whosoever is the most popular is how it will go in the story! If I don't receive any votes I 'll just have to choose myself, haha~_

_But anyways, don't worry, despite what happens in this chapter, SeeWooxMayu won't really be a thing. Maybe you guys can tell who our villain is now? :3 And thanks for all the lovely feedback! Enjoy!_

* * *

The situation was not good; Yuma looked about ready to kick Kaito's teeth in and the blue haired teen's oblivious attitude was only making matters worse. Not to mention, every student remaining on the grounds was now eyeing them curiously. Kaito had never met Yuma before, as the two were in different grades — but that didn't stop him from hearing the rumors of his violence and nasty attitude. That certainly didn't explain why he seemed so interested in Mayu, though. The very fact that they had exited the school building together rubbed Kaito the wrong way. He didn't want this dangerous guy to get involved with Mayu, regardless of what might have happened while Yuma had possessed Mimi.

"You two are going to tell me exactly what the hell is going on here!" Yuma shouted through a snarl. Kaito's blue eyes narrowed.

"We have absolutely no reason to explain any—" Kaito was interrupted as Mayu took both boys up by the arm and hurriedly escorted them out of the school's front gates.

"We'll explain, but not _here_." Mayu grumbled with a scowl. She released them once they had safely left the grounds and then lead the way towards Kaito's house. Kaito caught up with her quickly, his happy facade slipping.

"Mayu, we shouldn't be getting involved with this guy, he's bad news!" Kaito whispered angrily, Yuma skulking along behind them.

"It doesn't matter. He isn't afraid of me and he's not going to leave us alone anytime soon. If we don't tell him, he's only going to make a scene. We don't have a choice." Mayu whispered right back, looking resigned. Kaito exhaled heavily, feeling none too pleased.

It was a short, but tensely silent walk to Kaito's house, and the trio soon found themselves seated on the clean, beige couch in the mansion's living room. Mayu sat between the two glaring boys, acting as a sort of mediator as she fumbled with a few strands of her hair. She felt highly uncomfortable with both pairs of eyes glued to her as she explained her situation. She told Yuma about how she had been murdered and cursed by the man she loved the most, and how Kaito had been seeking her out. She told him about how Kaito had successfully broken her curse and brought her back to life. She explained every bit carefully, but was quite annoyed by the fact that Kaito refused to add anything to her story. This was a lot for Yuma to take in. First it was ghosts, and now curses and psychics? His world just got a whole lot more interesting.

"But how does this guy even know so much about you? Or how to break the curse?" Yuma questioned suspiciously, and all eyes turned to Kaito. He only avoided their gaze and remained pointedly silent. Mayu sighed.

"Regardless, that's all I know for now." She said, getting up from her seat. She then took the reluctant boy by the hand and led him to the front door. Yuma paused though before leaving, looking back at her with an almost… worried expression swimming in his eyes. He had no idea where this feeling came from, but words just kind of fell from his mouth in a sloppy display of unfamiliar emotions.

"If that guy ever does anything that bothers you Mayu… You can always come stay with me." Yuma mumbled before making his leave. Mayu watched, uncertain, as his form receded into the thick trees at the end of the drive. When Mayu reentered the living room, she was met with a rather pouty looking Kaito, his bright blue eyes dimmed. She sat down on the couch and leaned back, her small form sinking into the plush cushions.

"What a day." She muttered, closing her eyes with a sudden tiredness. Feeling a presence near her, golden eyes flew open to meet azure. Kaito's smiling face hovered inches from her own as he raised a finger to brush against her face. Though smiling, he looked almost sad.

"You know… I really don't like sharing you."

* * *

Upon exiting the cafeteria the following day, Mayu was quite surprised to see an overly excited blonde with a pair black cat ears on her head waving vigorously in her direction. SeeU was seated at a small picnic table — one of the few outdoor seating areas available to students — off to the side, with her brother and another blonde with bright blue eyes and a messy ponytail seated across from her. Mayu felt vaguely as though she were walking into some sort of trap as she somewhat reluctantly approached.

"Hey Mayu! Have a seat!" The bubbly blonde exclaimed, gesturing to the seat beside her. SeeWoo was glaring daggers at Mayu, but the shorter blonde beside him eyed her curiously as she took a seat. He looked pretty young, Mayu thought.

"You already know SeeWoo, but this is my boyfriend Len." SeeU introduced, and Mayu gave a pleasant smile and an overly polite greeting, to which Len returned with a grin.

"Isn't he just the cutest thing? He's supposed to be a freshman this year, but this little dork got to skip a grade!" The tall girl cooed, pinching Len's cheek. The boy pouted and swatted her hand away with a shout of protest. Mayu watched with amusement as SeeU giggled excitedly. For the first fifteen minutes of the lunch hour, everything went pretty well. Mayu found both SeeU and Len to be not only great company, but quite the comedy duo as well. Aside from the occasional comment or prod, it seemed to be an unspoken rule to leave the ever grumpy SeeWoo to his own devices, and Mayu was more than happy to oblige. His very presence made her feel unnerved, but talking with her two new friends numbed the pain. _Friends. _The word seemed so unfamiliar to Mayu. Even in her previous life, her peers had labeled her as a violent freak and outcast, but here she was feeling more relaxed with these two than with anyone. It was a surprisingly welcome change of pace. Everything went well, that is, until a certain tall, pink haired teen waltzed up to their table and plopped down next to a rather surprised Mayu.

"Yuma?"

"I'm eating with you from here on out." He stated bluntly, a hand under his chin as he glared at all present.

"But… you don't even have any food." Mayu commented, a thin eyebrow raised.

"Not hungry."

"That's why you're so thin, y'know." Mayu commented with a huff. Suddenly, SeeU interrupted them.

"Ummm… Y-you know him, Mayu?" She asked, a hint of fear audible in her tone. It was then that Mayu realized the awfully uncomfortable aura that had settled over the table. SeeWoo and Len both looked equally infuriated by Yuma's presence, though neither of them had the courage to tell him off, and poor SeeU looked like she wanted to cry. Panicking a little, Mayu stuttered.

"Not r-really… I mean…" She mumbled before hurriedly turning to Yuma.

"This is my one chance at making friends, you need to leave!" She whispered angrily, glaring at him profusely. Yuma blatantly refused, and needless to say the remainder of the lunch period was spent in fuming silence on SeeWoo and Len's part, and heavy awkwardness for Mayu and SeeU. About twenty minutes before it was time to go back to class, SeeU made up a hurried excuse and the three made their exit, but not before SeeU had the chance to invite Mayu (and Mayu _alone_) to her house after school. As soon as they were gone, Mayu promptly shoved Yuma — much to the surprise of the many onlookers.

"Jerk!"

* * *

Mayu stood awkwardly staring at the tall, heavily carved wooden front doors before her, her pink-tipped fingers hovering inches from the door bell. Her stomach was in knots — never before had she actually been _invited _to someone's house. It seemed so strange… but she wanted to see SeeU again. The girl was just so bright and enthusiastic, that when Mayu was with her it seemed like, for a short while, the pain and hunger could be forgotten. Today had been especially terrible on that front after all. Controlling her hunger was extremely difficult when all she could see around her classmates was _red_. At times, she would go into violent shaking fits that were getting harder to cover up. Being alive was certainly much harder the second time around.

Steeling herself, Mayu let her fingers graze the button and waited anxiously as a series of chimes echoed through the house's innards. It was kind of strange, Mayu thought, that this place seemed vaguely familiar. And it wasn't just because the mansion was in the same neighborhood as Kaito's — there was something else, but Mayu couldn't quite place it. It wasn't long before a loud set of footsteps could be heard barreling down the steps, followed by a loud "Thud!" and a series of more careful steps that trailed to the front door. The door soon swung open wide to reveal the tall blonde girl, her hand held to a little red spot on her forehead. She had changed from her uniform, now wearing a cute orange shirt that hugged her figure nicely, a pair grey shorts and star printed thigh highs. She had even pulled her voluminous hair into two high twin tails. Mayu was rarely outdone appearance-wise, but she felt a little underdressed still wearing her school uniform.

"Ah, you came!" SeeU shouted excitedly, laughing.

"Stupid me tripped on the last step!" She added, taking Mayu by the hand and hurrying her up the stairs. The house was very nicely kept and tastefully decorated, but perhaps not as lavish as Kaito's place. SeeU wasted no time in bringing Mayu to her room upstairs, shutting the door behind them. SeeU's room was mostly orange and grey like her outfit, with lightly antiqued furniture and bedding. Posters of cats and various musicians Mayu didn't recognize were pasted across the walls, and the open closet was bursting with clothes. Mayu took it all in with amusement. SeeU sat down cross legged on the plushy rug, and gestured for the other girl to do the same. Once they were both seated, SeeU leaned in close, wearing a mischievous grin as her eyes twinkled.

"I'm sure you don't know much about the students at school yet, right?" She asked, and Mayu shook her head.

"Then it's time to fill you in! I may be anti-social, but I know _everything_."

* * *

As usual, Yuma had detention. It was grueling, but once it was over with the fresh autumn air felt more refreshing than usual. The birds twittered occasionally, and the sky looked heavy with the possibility of rain. Still, the coolness to the air and the steady sound of crunching leaves beneath his boots made Yuma feel at ease for the first time in days. Making his way off the school premises (he assumed Mayu had already left anyways, so there was no point in hanging around) he was surprised to see the familiar mop of bright blue hair from star-student Kaito Shion sitting on a bench near the gates. He had his cell pressed to his ear and looked decidedly unnerved — very unusual for the normally grinning idiot. As soon as Kaito saw Yuma, he put his phone away and approached him.

"Do you know where Mayu is? I think she left the cell I bought her at the house this morning." Kaito's tone was almost panicky.

"Trouble in paradise? She's not telling you things now?" Yuma asked with a smirk.

"This is serious, Yuma." Kaito deadpanned, startling Yuma a bit.

"Relax, I think she went to some girl's house after school. Her name was… SeeU I think?" Yuma said, suddenly thoughtful. SeeU… Kaito thought that name sounded familiar. Suddenly realizing who that was, he had a mini panic attack. That girl lived in _his _old house! He knew because he'd, erm, broken in there before on his quest for knowledge about Mayu. He'd found some interesting things as well.

"It was kinda weird though…"

"What?" Kaito questioned, exasperated at the thought of more bad news.

"Her brother looked just like this guy I saw in an article about Mayu…" At Kaito's behest, Yuma explained about the article he had found online where the writer had gone to Mayu's old house and found the old box of photos.

"Shit. Shit. Shit! We have to go get her!" Kaito yelled, several puzzle pieces sliding into place for him. This poisonous mixture of tragedy could very well send Mayu into some kind of mental break down — the memories could drive her over the edge if her emotions were stirred — and he wasn't going to let that happen to her. Without bothering to explain any further to the extremely confused Yuma, he bolted out the front gates. Yuma took off after him, worried despite himself.

* * *

Mayu sauntered into SeeU's bathroom, flipping on the light switch and illuminating the small room. SeeU had gone downstairs to speak with her parents for a moment, and Mayu thought it a good time reapply her lip gloss. The bathroom was a good size; the walls had been painted bright orange with a neutral tile back splash and free standing shower, and of course a toilette as well. Mayu sighed as she retrieved her lip gloss from the school bag she had placed on the counter. She found SeeU's gossip a tad tiresome and, well, juvenile to say the least — but SeeU's enthusiasm was somehow infectious and Mayu enjoyed herself nonetheless. She unscrewed the top, but just before she could touch the applicator to her bottom lip, the lights flickered. Just once, but it gave her pause. She knew full well what that was a sign of — but why would a ghost be here? She shook away the ominous feeling building in the pit of her stomach and glided the applicator smoothly across her lips. She gave a sheepish smile to her reflection and fiddled with her hair a bit before placing the gloss back in her bag and retrieving her things. As she turned, an audible click was heard and the lights winked out of existence.

"SeeU?" Mayu mumbled, wondering now if the teen was playing a trick on her — it had sounded like someone flipped the light switch. She took a few steps towards the door but was quite shocked when she bumped into something firm. Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, Mayu could make out the profile of SeeWoo hovering above her. His lips were curved into a dangerous smile and his dim blue eyes seemed far away and murky. Something seemed very strange about his expression, but perhaps more distressing was the way he was _looking at her_. In this moment, she could almost imagine that SeeWoo was _him_. But that wasn't even possible, and Mayu knew that. Her beloved, after all, wasn't even dead yet, so there was no way he could be in this guy's body. There was no possibility of reincarnation or anything ridiculous like that. She had seen it with her own eyes one night when a nursing assistant had left Mimi in her office only weeks ago. Apparently, he had had some sort of stroke and was pretty much a vegetable now. It had been extremely difficult for Mayu to see him like that, and the image was still burned into her memory. It was impossible… but still a chill crept into her bones and her golden eyes flashed with fear.

"W-what do you want?" She spat, her tone accusatory. He made no response and only began shrinking the distance between them. Mayu backed up, her fists clenched. But for every step backwards she took, he took another forward. She could feel a burning, heated concentration radiating from his body as he backed her up against the wall. She tried to turn and evade him, but he pinned her narrow shoulders to the wall with his palms, sky colored eyes radiating bad intentions. When he covered her lips with his, Mayu's mind went completely blank. For a while, she could feel nothing but his aggression. Then the memories started pouring into her head, and she couldn't help but respond with a spitefulness of her own.

She remembered how _rejected_ he made her feel. She remembered how, still, she had followed him around like a lost puppy. How she had endured the scorn of her classmates and fought away everyone who got in her way or his. She had tried so hard to make him love her. She had cried herself to sleep countless times. And then he had shown up at her doorstep that rainy evening, pressed his lips against hers and she had thought that maybe, _just maybe_, things would be okay for once. It hadn't ended in a "happily ever after" for Mayu though — no, not quite. It had ended in a rain of blood and gore, her body torn to shreds by the hands of her beloved.

Now, as SeeWoo pressed his body against hers, Mayu felt every pulse of pain she had felt that night coursing through her veins, urging her further into this heated nightmare. She could feel the axe penetrating her limbs and separating her bones, almost like each moment was happening again and again. She felt the warmth of his fingers ripping and shredding her skin — the pain was so great that she could think of nothing but the grin on his pretty face as he watched. He was like a rather macabre artist, she thought dimly, and her body was the canvas, her blood the paint.

"SeeWoo!" A sudden shrill voice cut through the fog and the lights blasted into existence. Just like that the spell was broken and SeeWoo released Mayu with a growl of annoyance against her lips. Somehow he seemed a little confused though as his sister dragged him off Mayu and took the trembling girl by the hand. Apologizing profusely, SeeU led Mayu back to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them. Mayu hurriedly regained her composure and assured her friend that she was alright.

"God, I just honestly didn't think he was _that_ into you… or that he would be so assertive. He's never been on a date in his life."

* * *

Kaito and Yuma waited anxiously at the doorstep. Kaito having already rung the door bell, they could hear the shuffling sounds of someone moving about inside. Finally, the lock turned over and the door swung open to reveal SeeU eyeing them timidly from the doorstep. Mayu was visible standing a ways behind her — and to both boys' great relief, she looked fine. Her normal, polite but reserved expression was on her face and her posture did not reflect any serious emotional trauma.

"What are you two here for?" Mayu questioned, coming forward to stand next to SeeU in the aperture.

"We missed you Mayu! Why don't you come home now? It's getting late anyways." Kaito chirped, lying through his teeth — he didn't want SeeU to know too much. Yuma shot Kaito a glare, but then getting the message gave a kurt nod, though he seemed more than a little embarrassed. Much to their surprise, however, Mayu didn't put up much of a fight and said her goodbyes to SeeU before gathering her things and heading down the driveway with the two boys. SeeU waved vigorously at their backs until they were out of site, and it wasn't until then that Yuma spoke up.

"So… nothing happened?" Yuma questioned with a curious lilt to his tone. Both boys jarred to a halt however when they realized Mayu was no longer in step between them. Turning around, they saw the small girl standing a few steps behind them, her hands fisted at her sides and glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. She sniffled as she tried to hold back the flood, but soon fell to the grassy ground, burying her face in her knees as sobs racked her body.


	6. A Storm is Brewing

_(Author's Notes)_

_Welcome to chapter six! Sorry it took me a little bit longer to get this one finished, but school's out now so yaaay! Anyways... drum roll please! YumaxMayu won by a landslide, so from here on out the main pairing for this story will be YumaxMayu. There will still be sprinkles of KaitoxMayu, but it won't be the main theme. ;)_

_This chapter explains a lot, hmm? I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

"I just think it's best if you stay clear of them for a while." Kaito stated, his serious expression looking out of place on his features. Mayu's eyes were narrowed into venomous golden slits as she stared at him, her thin arms crossed beneath her chest in defiance.

"I find it amusing how you think you can tell me what to do." She spat. Her body was still in panic mode from her encounter with SeeWoo earlier that afternoon. Her hands shook like leaves and her eyes were puffy from crying, but still her moxy had not left her.

"Mayu, please just listen to me. It's not good for you to be going to _you-know-who's_ old house on a regular basis. Not to mention there's something clearly bad going on with this SeeWoo guy. You know full well that your sanity is a constant battle — and I'm not going to let you throw away your life because some idiot brought back some bad memories for you." Kaito's voice was calm and clear as he sat across from her at the long, black dining room table. Yuma was seated beside Mayu, watching them both intently. He was still seething from Mayu's account of what had occurred at SeeU's house earlier. SeeWoo was sure to be getting a visit from his fist the next day at school. Honestly though, Yuma didn't know at this point why he was still hanging around with her, or more importantly why some guy making out with her pissed him off so much. She was alive now, right? The fascination should have worn off. There was just something about this girl that drew him in like a moth to the flame.

"And how exactly do you seem to know everything about me? _Please_ enlighten me, because at this point I'm sick of your excuses!" Mayu shouted, her voice rising. Kaito exhaled heavily, blowing a few strands of his blue hair in the process.

"I want you to remember—"

"Let me rephrase that. You come clean with me or I'm walking out that door right now. You won't see me again." Mayu interrupted icily. Kaito looked more tired than either of the other two had ever seen him. A silence settled over the trio until, finally, Kaito leaned back in his chair and spoke up.

"Fine. But pinky over there doesn't need to be here for this." Kaito said, his trademark overly pleasant smile returning as he played with the edge of his scarf. Yuma fumed, but Mayu spoke before he could say anything.

"His presence doesn't matter. Get on with it!" Yuma didn't know whether to be offended or relieved at her response, but he shot her a glare just in case. Kaito and Mayu exchanged terse looks, but finally he relented with a sigh.

"Fine…" He mumbled. There was a long, charged quiet as he organized his thoughts.

"… When we met, Mayu, I was thirteen. Things were pretty bad for my Mom and I back then. None of this—" he gestured at the lavish mansion around him, "—existed. We lived in a trailer park. My Mom's relationship with my Father was… well, nonexistent at that point. They weren't married, obviously, and never had been. My Mother was desperately in love with him, but he rejected her at every turn. It had gotten especially bad, though, as my Father started turning many of her friends against my Mom. She was really depressed and had been skipping work. I was worried she was going to get fired, and I knew I couldn't support the both of us at my age. One day, the last woman who still talked to my Mom managed to get her out of the house for a few hours, and when she returned she tossed a beige rabbit plush at me as I sat reading a book in our den. As I'm sure you can guess, it was none other than Usano Mimi.

'Apparently Gumi still thinks you're six.' She mumbled before disappearing into her dark room. As soon as I saw the rabbit, I knew there was a spirit attached to it. I could feel the presence clearly — the malevolence and soul chilling atmosphere. I was afraid to look up from Mimi's lifeless button eyes, but taking a deep breath I steeled myself and let my eyes travel across the room. When I first saw you seated on the couch next to me, I thought you were a living person. I see spirits all the time, but never had I seen one like you, Mayu. Most spirits look terrifying — grotesque, deformed and not entirely human anymore. But you… you were sitting there twisting a strand of your long hair around your finger as you eyed me lazily through veiled yellow eyes. I couldn't help thinking that you looked so… beautiful. As if you were glowing. Your appearance was somehow soft and pretty, but in your eyes a world of pain and misery was reflected. You reacted to my being able to see you much like you did the other day; with sheer disbelief. I probed you with more questions than I probably should have, but you seemed inclined to ignore me at that point. During the days that came, though, I began talking with you. What little attention you gave tantalized me. The way you spoke so directly, and the way you automatically got shy if I stared at you for too long — everything about you interested me. And while I was getting to know you, (although admittedly you were an unwilling participant. You constantly reminded me of how 'monstrous' and 'evil' you were) you were visiting my Mom at night. I would always watch you as you whispered to her while she slept. I wondered what you were saying to her.

And one pleasant spring morning, I found out. It was around eight when my Mom got the call — but somehow she only smiled as the phone slipped from her fingertips and ricocheted off the linoleum. Her eyes were still rimmed with dark circles, but somehow they seemed to sparkle through her sadness as she addressed the air around her.

'Thank you.' And with those words our lives changed completely. With my father gone and her revenge complete, my Mom seemed like a new woman. She got herself a career and started making more money. She wasn't depressed either — quite the contrary. But, sadly, she took Mimi away. To this day I don't know when she did it or what she did with the rabbit… but, to put it simply, that's how we met Mayu. From there, I spent years tracking you down and researching you. You saved me and my Mom."

There was a long silence as the present company mulled over Kaito's words. Mayu certainly looked very agitated, her thin brows knitted together and her lips pursed. Yuma on the other hand wore an expression that was much harder to decipher, his gaze flitted from Mayu to Kaito and back again.

"But you seem to know more about my predicament than I do. How is that? And why don't I remember you?" She pressed, unsatisfied. Kaito smiled, though he inwardly worried that his answer would upset her.

"I found your journal. After months of digging I found one of the few papers that had published your obituary. I knew from the description it must have been you, so I researched the name and went to your old address. That's where I found it. Apparently… someone else got to your pictures before I did. They didn't find the journal though. As for your not remembering me, I honestly don't know." He finished, trying to make his tone as gentle as possible. Mayu had been through enough today, and he certainly didn't want to add to her discomfort. The girl's mouth opened and closed, but no words would come out as her cheeks colored.

"My journal…! B-but that still wouldn't explain how you know more than I do!" Mayu shouted at last, jabbing a finger in Kaito's direction.

"I also found _his_… notes. In the very same house you were visiting earlier today. I broke in there a year ago; before SeeU and her brother moved in. That's where I found out the specifics of the curse. I already knew a bit about black magic so it was pretty simple to decipher." Kaito said, forcing his voice to remain calm even though he could see the storm brewing in Mayu's eyes. Her lips parted and a cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Mayu dug her nails into the wooden table, splitters piercing her fingertips.

"Show me. _Now."_

"No. I am not going to let him get to you anymore than he already has, Mayu."

Tears began gathering in her eyes as she watched Kaito grasp her hands.

"I need to know…" She whispered, her voice hoarse. Yuma watched, an itch in the back of his mind telling him to do something, but he was unable to act.

"No, you don't." Kaito said, smiling sadly. Mayu tore away from him and got up from her chair. Sending them both one last hurt look she took off to her room, her body trembling and tears pouring down her cheeks. An awkward pause ensued as Kaito and Yuma avoided each other's gaze. Finally, Kaito sighed.

"I know you want to go to her. As much as I want you to leave us alone, she needs someone right now — and I don't think I'd be much help with her being so angry at me. Go."

Yuma didn't hesitate this time.

* * *

Yuma stood with his fingers clasped around the door knob, staring at the stark white door dispassionately. Rubbing his temple with his spare hand, he turned the knob over and slowly opened the door. He was more nervous than he thought he should have been, despite the fact that he had never done anything like this before. When the entrance was open, Yuma could see Mayu sitting in a chair at the little desk on the far side of the room. Her pale legs were crossed over one another and her long curly hair cascaded down the chair's back as she slowly rocked back and forth, attempting to comfort herself as she stared at the white walls. Usano Mimi was seated in her lap, Mayu's arms clutching the bunny tightly to her chest.

"What do you want?" She managed to mutter through choked sobs as she hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes. Yuma stood awkwardly in the doorway as his mind desperately tried to come up with a plan that didn't involve taking off running. Suddenly, a wave of courage over came him and he took several quick strides over to her. In one motion, he spun the chair around to face him and placed a hand on either arm rest, his face looming over hers.

"Stop it! Quit crying!" He nearly shouted, brows furrowed. Mayu looked shocked as his breath passed over her skin. Yuma was unable to meet her gaze as he continued.

"… Please?" He murmured grumpily, finding it hard to speak as his cheeks flamed. Then, a pleasant, light sound caught his ear. Was Mayu… laughing? His eyes flew to meet hers as she rubbed the corner of her eyes, her lips upturned into a slight smile. He had never been so relieved and confused at the same time.

"You're kind of strange, Yuma." She said, though her tone sounded quite endearing. Yuma immediately released her, backing up a step in his sudden embarrassment.

"I think that's a good thing, though. It's nice… not having to be alone all the time with you two here." She mused, her smile fading as her eyes glazed over in thought. Yuma sighed and took a seat on the bed across from her, sinking into the plush bedspread.

"Maybe it would make you feel better to talk about it…?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Hmm?" She looked as though she had just awoken from an awful dream.

"About… him."

"Oh, yeah… maybe…" She mumbled, staring straight through him as the memories flooded her mind.

"It all started to go down hill on my first day of high school… Sure, my home life wasn't very good — but in middle school I was pretty well liked. It was much like school is now back then, I put on a mask and all the kids seemed to like it pretty well." She paused, nearly wincing as she formed her next words.

"But, when _he_ walked in late to our first period class, that's when people started to avoid me. I mean, I felt like everything I was doing was perfectly normal and logical… but looking back, I must have screwed up _somewhere_ in light of what he did to me. Maybe it was how I baked him cookies every morning? Maybe it was the homemade lunches I brought him every day? He always told me to leave him be, but from my table a few rows away I could always see him eat everything. So, I thought things were fine. I thought it was normal, and as long as I kept trying my hardest we would end up together. He was such a loner too; certainly a book worm and didn't seem to care much about anyone. Though he was good looking, most avoided him for his sharp tongue. The few girls that did approach him… well, I made sure they never thought of him again. Maybe that was it? All I did was leave a few notes and, erm, gifts. Ah, but I followed him around a lot too. I was always observing, learning his habits and behavior.

On _that_ day though, I was actually feeling a little ill with a sore throat, so I had stayed home for the day. When he showed up at my door, I was quite shocked to be honest. I had nearly given up on him ever reciprocating my feelings — but here he was, soaked to the bone from the rain and shivering ravenously. His eyes seemed different though… more like electricity than the usual calm, cool blue. And then he kissed me. And then… he murdered me. It seems strange talking about it now. I just honestly don't understand what happened. I did everything I possibly could have — I tried so hard and yet he hated me that much?" Her voice sounded strained as her speech ended, fresh tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. Yuma wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but a moment later he found his arms wrapped around her small framed as she sobbed into his chest, soaking his uniform.

"Don't worry. We're not going to let him hurt you anymore."

* * *

"Damn it!" Len cursed, the controller gripped tightly in his hands as he watched Rin's character dance around his dead body on the screen. The "Player Two Wins!" text flashed obnoxiously across the TV in bright red.

"Another win for Queen Rin!" The blonde girl beside him exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air. Her blue eyes danced with triumph as she grinned, cat-like, at her best friend. It had been a tradition since the two were little for them to meet after school and play the latest video games, and although now that Len had a girlfriend they weren't able to meet up every day, Len and Rin still both made time to play together like old times. Len sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. Strangely, they looked very much alike despite the fact that they were not related.

"Another round?" He more demanded than asked. Rin nodded eagerly and they began to set up the next round, selecting their characters and weapons. Just as the match began, the steady ringing of Len's cell phone interrupted their furious button mashing. Len waited until the third ring to answer, counting each second that passed in the back of his mind as he directed his character. It was a certain mental catch that he had — he always had to answer the phone on the third ring. He knew it was illogical, but he always felt that something bad would happen if he didn't.

"Hey SeeU!" Len exclaimed happily, the phone propped against his shoulder as his character landed a heavy blow, causing a riot of curses to erupt from Rin's pretty lips.

"Hey sweetie!" SeeU's voice crackled through the phone.

"What's up?"

"Not much! Just wanted to see how you were doing!" SeeU said, and to all but the trained eye she sounded like her normal excitable self, but Len knew better. Sighing, he paused the game, immediately earning a worried look from Rin. She bombarded him with questions, but he ignored her and flopped down on his bed.

"Okay, what's wrong? You have my full attention." Len stated, his voice full of concern. Rin watched him carefully from her spot on the floor, but decided to stay quiet for now. There was a long pause, but finally SeeU drew in a deep breath and spoke.

"It's… SeeWoo. He's just been acting _strange_ ever since we met Mayu. I mean stranger than usual." SeeU mumbled, eliciting a chuckle from her boyfriend.

"I bet the dork has a crush on her!"

"That's what I thought too! But… today when Mayu came over to the house, he — well he kinda jumped her. I had left the room for a minute and when I came back he was making out with her in my bathroom. I don't think she was a willing participant either." SeeU explained nervously. Len looked a little shocked, his eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at the ceiling.

"What? What!" Rin shouted, but Len treated her as background noise. They both knew he'd fill her in later.

"Well… I'm sure that idiot just doesn't know how to deal with his feelings. He's not exactly experienced with girls, y'know?" Len tried to justify SeeWoo's actions, but even he knew it was extremely out of character for the blonde to approach any girl. He loved to sling insults, sure, but forcing himself onto someone? It was just plain weird.

"But, it's not just that! I came upstairs earlier to tell him dinner was ready, and he was, like, just standing in front of his TV, staring at it. But the weird thing was it was turned off! I dunno… something's going on with him. He's my brother and I'm worried." For the first time since Len had met her, SeeU sounded spooked.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Len's voice always had a way of calming SeeU, and his support meant the world to her.

"You know that won't get us anywhere. SeeWoo doesn't talk to anyone about what's going on in his mind. All we can do is support him from the sidelines and hope for the best."

* * *

Kaito watched, hypnotized as the flickering fire consumed the paper he had relented to the hungry flames. He was seated in a delicate antique armchair before the fireplace, a stack of papers in his lap. One by one, he tossed them into the fire, the darkness of the room playing shadow tricks on the walls around him. Mayu's crying face still haunted him, but with each paper gone he felt relief. Suddenly, his reverie was interrupted by a set of heavy footfalls coming down the stairway. Breaking his eyes from the crackling flames, he saw a familiar pink haired teen loaf into the room. There was a heavy silence as the two traded looks.

"Is she alright?" Kaito finally asked, his voice cracking.

"For now. She fell asleep." Yuma responded with flatly. Kaito sighed, turning back to flames and throwing another sheet into the fire's eager maw.

"What are you doing?" Yuma asked, coming closer.

"If I don't destroy his notes, Mayu will find them eventually. I've got them memorized anyways." Kaito responded with. Another silence settled over them, broken only by the terrible hissing of the fire.

"I'm going to need your help. Are you in or not?" Kaito asked eventually, coaxed by the necessity of the situation. He had decided. Yuma was done denying his feelings. There was a connection between him and Mayu, and at this point he was willing to protect it.

"Yeah. I am." Yuma's voice was quiet, but firm. Kaito looked over at him, a sheet gripped betwixt his fingers.

"Tomorrow, I need you to take her someplace. Somewhere she'll have fun." Kaito said, his voice sounding rather dreary. Yuma looked confused.

"But don't we have school?"

"I need her to be unaware that I am not at school tomorrow. I'm going to be… letting myself into Seeu and SeeWoo's house to see what I can dig up. Something's going on and we have to find out what before it's too late. Trust me, I wish I could be the one taking her, but I'm the one with the knowledge, so it must be me who goes to their house." The blue haired teen explained, watching as the last piece of paper became ash.

"Okay. I'll do it."


End file.
